SWTOR - Betrayed
by nobarawolfgirl
Summary: Spoilers! The hated scene between the Sith Warrior and Malavai Quinn...Baras be damned :(
1. Baras' Orders

Quinn sat in the captain's chair of the Sith lord's vessel with his feet up on the table and a datapad in his hand. It was roughly 23:00 hours and he was the last one awake. His fingers scrolled through the information he was researching about Corellia, but his eyes only glanced over it while his mind trailed off. Earlier in the day, they had been leaving the planet Voss when the spirit of Madaga Ru appeared and gave Seyje a warning that Quinn could not get out of his head.

_You helped. I grant you this secret – be warned, one of your own plans to betray you._

Seyje had not acted even the least bit worried, but something about the message bothered Quinn to no end. Who would do such a thing? He put the datapad down on the table, not bothering to read anymore. Gazing out the bay window, his fingers drummed on the armrest while his mind wandered. Surely no one on this vessel would be so foolish as to try something like that. If they did, it was likely something would drive them mad to do so.

Suddenly, a certain Sith dropped on Quinn's conscious like a rock.

Baras.

The thought made Quinn cringe. Technically, he was still under the order of Darth Baras until his debt was paid off – and it would never be paid off. The captain's jaw tightened.

_Damn Sith politics._

Ever since Lord Draahg had tried to bury Seyje alive on Quesh by Baras' command, the Darth had stopped contacting Quinn. It used to be that Baras would check in on her progress, but he always called at the most unusual times. Quinn never told anyone about his contact with the Sith. It was not something he was proud of, and he didn't like being tied down to two masters. Sooner or later, something bad was going to happen because of it.

Suddenly, the holocom beeped with an incoming transmission.

_Who could that possibly be?_

The time zones were different all across the galaxy, but Quinn kept the crew on as much of a normal sleeping schedule as he could. He stood and approached the console protruding from the wall.

_That's odd…_

The computer didn't recognize the receiving code. Quinn put the transmission through, and as soon as the caller appeared, a cold fear settled on his chest.

"Darth Baras," he said, voice uneasy. "This is unexpected. I–"

"Do not bother me with pleasantries, Captain. I am not interested," Baras snapped. "Perhaps you could explain some of the recent events I've heard concerning my former apprentice."

"I don't know what you mean, my lord," Quinn responded with confusion.

"Am I correct in learning that you've married Lord Seyje?" Baras questioned.

Chills crept up Quinn's back. Their marriage was kept a secret to everyone but the crew.

_How in the galaxy did he find out?_

"Well, Captain? Am I wrong?" Baras asked impatiently.

"No, my lord, you heard correctly," Quinn responded, his gaze turning away towards the floor.

Resentment began to unfurl its tendrils within the Captain's stomach that had appeared many times before, and he took a deep breath to bury the feeling. Baras had been his master long before Seyje came along; that was a fact. Still, there was something highly suspicious about this call.

"Interesting choice, given your obligations to serve me. I hope your foolish commitment won't be a problem for your assignment," Baras said.

Quinn's head snapped up.

_Oh no…_

He had heard that tone of voice many times on Balmorra, and it only meant one thing – death.

"Assignment, my lord?" the Captain asked.

This was the first time Baras was actually telling him to act rather than sit back and watch things, but it was not something to be looked forward to. Truthfully, Quinn only halfheartedly wanted to know the answer and would rather have shut off the holocom right then and there.

"Yes. You will set a trap for and kill Lord Seyje," Baras stated.

The world around Quinn grinded to a halt. He froze, unable to move as the words of Madaga Ru rang in his ears.

_He was talking about…me._

The Captain stared blankly at the holo image. He was supposed to kill his own wife? It was virtually impossible. She was indestructible, and had proven it many times over in battle. Not only that, but she had shown him the utmost loyalty and respect where he knew he didn't deserve it.

Quinn thought back over the years of his time with Seyje; she had defended him, respected him, and loved him unlike anyone had ever before. He tried his best to return all she had given him, but it was difficult when comparing his own status to hers. And yet no matter what trials they faced, what events tried to come between them, Quinn had always been able to rely on one thing – Seyje loved him, and he loved her more than anyone could possibly understand. Now Baras wanted Quinn to just give up everything? To strike down Seyje as if she had never existed? To erase all history he had with her and betray the Emperor's Wrath?!

He shook his head.

"No."

The word rang with defiance, cutting through the silence of the empty room. If Baras didn't wear that foolish mask all the time, his eyes would've burned right out of their sockets at that moment.

"What did you say to me?" the Sith asked in shock.

Apparently no one had ever stood up to the Lord with an overly round belly.

"I said _no_," Quinn snarled angrily. "I cannot, and I will not, kill her."

"You _can_ and you _will_, Captain! That is an order!" demanded Baras, raising his voice to an unruly level.

Thankfully, the walls of the ship were soundproof. Otherwise someone would've surely heard them at that moment.

"I don't take orders from you anymore, Baras. My connections to you were severed the moment you tried to blow up Seyje on Quesh," Quinn said with strong conviction, his hand swiping across his body in a slicing motion.

"Need I remind you, Captain, what happened last time you chose to question authority?" Baras snarled, crossing his arms in a gesture of power.

Quinn fell silent as memories of his fallout with Moff Broysc flooded his mind. He did owe a great deal to Baras after what happened at Drukenwell. The Moff was dead now, executed by Quinn himself, but Baras was still controlling everything that Broysc had been commanding.

"Your disobedience will result in severe consequences if you choose to continue serving that pitiful excuse of an apprentice."

Quinn's head snapped up at the insult.

"Don't you dare insult her. Seyje could easily destroy you," he barked.

Standing up to Baras should've been terrifying, but it felt exhilarating more than anything. Quinn didn't feel so much as an ounce of fear as he shot back remarks to this egotistic Sith.

"Then why hasn't she?" Baras asked.

The question caught Quinn off-guard.

"What?"

"If it would so easy for her to strike me down, then why hasn't she done it yet?" Baras asked again, sounding slightly amused and almost surprised at the lack of perception from the Captain.

If Quinn had been holding a bubble that held his confidence, that question would've been the pin that popped it. The prophecy flashed through his mind again, but Quinn ignored it.

"She's biding her time," he replied.

His answer was a second slower than it should've been, and Baras noticed. The Sith laughed, a sound that would've sent a rancor running.

"Is that so? I disagree, Captain. She's not biding her time, she's wasting it. If our confrontation would really be so simple, then why is she avoiding it?"

"The same could be said about you, Baras," the Captain pointed out.

"Ha! I don't waste my time on chasing after lost causes," the Sith said with a scoff.

As much as Quinn disliked it, there was no denying the truth in Baras' words. Seyje had seemed…distracted lately. Whenever someone mentioned her old master, she was hesitant to discuss things and would try to change the subject. Could it really be true?

Dread clawed at Quinn's stomach as he realized there was another reason.

_She's not meant to win...that's why Madaga Ru warned her about a betrayal. Seyje has been ignoring it because she knows it to be true. _

"Since you're so unwilling to accept my orders, I'll give you a choice to consider, Captain," Baras said, his voice dripping with a dark delight. "Either you chose how painfully she dies, or _I_ do."

Quinn's eyes involuntarily widened. He had witnessed first-hand what Baras did to captured prisoners, and even all his years of experience in war did not compare to what he had seen the Sith do. His methods were ruthless, but slow enough so that the victim would be put through as much physical and mental pain before their life was extinguished. To hand Seyje over to such horrible torture…

_No, that cannot happen. I won't allow it. _

Baras continued, oblivious to Quinn's discomfort.

"Let me put it in this perspective, Captain. I have specific war droids for you to program however you see fit. You can make her death as quick and painless. Or I, once she's crushed under my power, will break her spirit in the most agonizing way possible."

Terror took hold of Quinn. He could imagine some rather horrible things, but there was no doubt that Baras could do much, _much_ worse to Seyje once he defeated her.

Hold on, _once_ he defeated her? Did Quinn really lack such faith in his wife's abilities?

The captain looked down at his hands and noticed they were shaking. His nerves were jumping around as if they were on fire.

"It's your choice whether you want to save her life or not," the Sith said dismissively.

Save her life? Such a harsh choice of words, but true nonetheless. Baras was telling him that it didn't matter what Quinn picked: Seyje was going to die one way or another.

_There's nothing I can do to stop this. Madaga Ru said so himself that she was going to be betrayed._

The mere thought of it made the Captain tremble with dread. A life without his precious Sith lord wasn't going to be much of a life at all.

_This never would've happened if I hadn't allowed myself to fall for her. Or at the very least if I had figured things out on my own after Drukenwell instead of letting all these damn Sith control my life._

But there was no escaping his debt to Baras. That had been made clear by now. Quinn would be forever bound to following orders. Fate even told him so. At least at his hand she would die with the honor and respect she deserved.

"Now, I'm ordering you to kill Lord Seyje," Baras said.

"Yes…my lord," Quinn said slowly, his voice getting caught in his throat.

His mouth burned as the submissive words rolled off his tongue. How he hated Darth Baras. He resented everything about the Sith lord. For him to be controlled like a puppy dog on a leash was enough to make Quinn go mad – but he had no choice and swallowed his emotions once more.

"I am sending the information you'll need to access these war droids," Baras said, the undeniable sound of victory in his voice. "Lucky for you, Captain, this transmission wave is undetectable and will delete any message within ten seconds of the conversation ending. Lord Seyje will never suspect anything. Therefore, you will need to download the information quickly."

_Typical of Baras to cheat his way out. _

"Do not fail me, Captain," the Sith said, and the holocom went silent.

Quinn only had seconds to make a decision. He could walk away and leave the droid information to be erased, or he could follow through and program them to kill Seyje. Quinn desperately wanted to choose the former, but Darth Baras' threat and the prophecy circulated in his mind. He couldn't let her die at the hand of her old master, but would using the droids really be any better? It seemed that fate had already made his choice for him.

_At least I'm saving her life. Yes, that's what this is, I'm protecting her from Baras. _

With a heavy sigh, Quinn downloaded the information onto the datapad in his hand. Two seconds later, the screen blanked out, erasing the conversation from the console.

It was done. There was no turning back from this.

Quinn's fingers were shaking, and he felt his knees start to buckle as he collapsed in the captain's chair. The datapad on the table sat there taunting him, and he turned away from it in disgust.

He looked down the hall at the door of Seyje's bedroom. Quinn could almost see his wife sleeping peacefully, burrowed up in the expensive silk blanket he had bought her as a surprise engagement gift. A strand of hair would likely be draped across her face. She would sigh deeply and snuggle up close to Quinn as he brushed it away.

Suddenly, the image in his mind changed to a dark scene of her being chained to a wall in the dungeons of Korriban and Baras laughing manically as he electrified her.

The Captain jumped in his seat. Although the image had only lasted a second, it was so vivid he almost mistook it for reality. Such a thought could not be made so. It was too horrific. Quinn put his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. His chest felt heavy. How was he supposed to face the reality both Baras and Madaga Ru had forced upon him? Kill his own wife? It was unthinkable, and yet it had to be done. It was _meant_ to be done.

_I'm saving her…aren't I?_

The datapad on the table beeped, and he glanced at it through his fingers. That tiny machine held Seyje's death note.

Quinn would have to put on an act until the deed was done. Any feelings and loyalty he had towards Seyje would have to slowly be dissolved within a mere few days. He would have to lay down next to her at night, knowing what was coming, and not be able to warn her about Baras. He would have to remain the same military man she knew so that Seyje wouldn't suspect anything. He would have to lie to her. _Lie_ to her. That was so morally wrong, and yet Seyje wouldn't know otherwise. She would live her life in a fog, totally unaware of what was happening behind the curtains of Quinn's personal thoughts.

_No, lying is no rescue. I'm not saving her - I've condemned her. _

Quinn's eyes welled up with tears, and he sat in the chair quietly sobbing into his hands.

_What have I done?_


	2. Convincing Lies

"We will learn more and brief you when you arrive on Corellia."

The holocom went silent. The order had been given. Seyje was to collect, protect, and transport Darth Vowrawn to Korriban.

The Sith lord's eyes remained at the empty space, her mind anticipating out any traps that would no doubt be waiting for them. Pierce stood on her left and Quinn on her right. Jaesa and Vette had chosen to skip the briefing this time since they were bound to find out the plan later.

Quinn stood with the datapad hanging from his belt. The tiny machine felt like a nagging child at his side. Everyone else had spent most of the morning lounging around while they waited for the call from the Hand. Quinn, however, had been up all night going through the details of his assigned task. As despicable as it was, he managed to convince himself over the past few days that it was for the best and shut out all thoughts that said otherwise. He had deceived anyone from suspecting anything. Now it was time for the opening act.

"My lord, I'm afraid we cannot go to Corellia at this time. The Empire has enacted a martial law blockade of the entire system," Quinn stated, turning his head to look at her.

Any other time, he would've felt tiny flitters of excitement when catching her eye. This time, however, he felt nothing. There was no point anymore. Since he was going to lose her anyway, as Madaga Ru foretold, he was going to remain emotionless until it was all over.

A spark of concern flashed across her eyes for a fleeting moment, one that Quinn noticed, but it vanished quickly.

"Tell me the details so we can figure out a way to overcome this."

Seyje sounded slightly annoyed but appeared determined to solve this problem. It was very likely that she had already started planning ahead to her confrontation with Baras.

_It will never happen._

"The Imperial fleet has been equipped with special transponder signal emitters. Any ship without this emitter sticks out like a sore thumb," Quinn said.

"Hmmm, I never heard about such an initiative," Pierce muttered, stroking his beard as if trying to recall a memory he didn't have.

Quinn glared at the soldier.

"I've been monitoring Baras' communications, Lieutenant," he said distastefully, "He only implemented the order recently. Probably to keep us away from Corellia."

The two men had been butting heads ever since Pierce was picked up from Taris. Quinn hated how the Lieutenant was always trying to undermine him or find ways to get around his orders. He had such an arrogant attitude that drove Quinn absolutely crazy. Letting his frustration fume, Quinn turned his eyes back to Seyje and spoke sharply.

"Without a signal emitter with Corellia space clearance, we will be noticed the minute we enter the system," his tone eased up slightly, "But I believe I have a solution."

How easily the lies seemed to slide off his tongue. What's more is how quickly his lord took the bait. A broad smile spread across Seyje's lips. At one point, he might've given her one to match, but his face remained blank.

"That's what I love about you most, Quinn. You're my answer man," Seyje purred.

"It is a job that has come with great rewards," he replied with a nod, his voice sounding somewhat monotone.

The words had come out before he fully thought about them. He half-heartedly meant what he said, but it wasn't fair for him to give her false hope like this.

The look on Seyje's face meant he had to backtrack. She had been convinced at first, but now it seemed that she was second-guessing him. Quickly, Quinn grabbed the datapad from his belt, determined to snag the Sith in his trap.

"I intercepted a transmission granting Corellia clearance to a class-A starship not far from here."

"Lucky us," Pierce said, sounding greatly relieved.

"Quite…" Quinn agreed.

It was almost amusing how easily the Lieutenant had been deceived.

"We can board the vessel and take their signal emitter."

"They won't part with it easily," Pierce quickly pointed out. "We'll have to go in there guns blazing. A lot of fellow Imperials are going to die."

Quinn stole a glance at Seyje. She noticeably stiffened and shifted uncomfortably, emotions flickering across her face. If it were Republic soldiers, she wouldn't have a problem, but this was their own Empire he was talking about attacking.

"That doesn't sit well with me either, Lieutenant," Seyje admitted, her voice laced with distress.

"Nor with me, but it is a necessary evil," Quinn reminded them. "There are ways to minimize the casualties."

_Not that there will be any. _

Seyje and Pierce looked at him curiously. She still didn't believe him, but Quinn knew he could get her to listen. He slid the datapad back into his belt and continued confidently before they could ask any questions.

"I know the schematics of class-A starships by heart. I could accompany you on board and lead you directly to the transponder station."

_And to your death. _

That did the trick. Seyje noticeably relaxed and Quinn knew he had her hooked.

"Just a suggestion. But it would help expedite things," he added.

_It would be better to have her come alone with me than bring someone else. _

Pierce grunted and muttered a few things to himself that sounded like insults as he walked off to another part of the ship. Quinn ignored him, keeping his eyes on Seyje and waiting for a response. She was quiet…too quiet.

Quinn felt his stomach sink as he watched her expression change, and he suddenly started to panic. Could she sense the lie? His palms felt hot and he tensed up under her gaze. He didn't like the way she was looking at him. It was like she had him under a microscope for inspection.

"Are you alright, Quinn? You've been acting a bit…odd lately," Seyje said slowly, her head tilting to the side.

"What do you mean?" he asked, erasing all thoughts from his mind in case she tried to use the Force to read him.

She took a step forward, and to his surprise, Seyje leaned up and kissed him. It was brief, but Quinn allowed himself to kiss her back. It would be the last time he could do it.

As she pulled away, he caught a scrutinizing expression on her face for a second before it faded. Was she trying to read him without the Force?

Seyje sighed and backed away.

"Never mind, it's probably just my nerves," she said, turning around and walking towards her quarters.

Her behavior was unusual, but Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe – for now.

"I trust you'll get us to this ship quickly, Quinn?"

He glanced up to see Seyje waiting in the doorway for a response.

"Of course, my lord," he said, bowing his head.

She nodded slowly, disappearing inside her room. Quinn hastily walked to the bridge and entered in the coordinates of their destination. If all went well, it would be just the two of them aboard and none of the others would ever find out what happened.

Quinn, while programming the droids, had secretly entered a non-distinction mechanism inside them. The key to setting it off was a special code that had to be entered in the datapad hanging from his belt. Once entered, the droids would shoot at anything in the room. If Quinn was lucky, neither he nor Seyje would be leaving the ship alive. The droids were lethal, and he preferred to be cut down in battle than presented to Baras for future use.

The Captain growled angrily to himself under his breath.

_I'm done being a puppet. Baras won't be able to manipulate me anymore, and neither will Seyje. I'll be glad once she's gone. _

The instant he thought it, Quinn's stomach sank. That wasn't true at all. He knew he was lying to himself, but what other choice did he have? It was much too late to back out now.

_Maybe that's why I programmed those droids with the mechanism…because I know that once this is all over, I won't be able to live without her. It's better this way. She won't have to face such terrible torture and I won't have to face the consequences of my actions. _

A harsh chuckle escaped his throat.

_So that's what this has come down to? I'm putting my tail between my legs and running away like a coward? Some captain I turned out to be…. _

Quinn shook the thoughts from his head. This was no time to be analyzing himself. Death was imminent for both him and Seyje. All that remained was for him to start the process, however slow it may be.


	3. Betrayer Revealed

Seyje sat on the side of her bed deep in thought. Something was out of place with her husband. The way Quinn had kissed her, it just felt…wrong. Instead of a fiery passion, he felt like a statue, cold and empty.

The past few days had been no different. He had been finding every reason to not spend any time with her, making up excuses about checking the ship functions and planning for their missions on Corellia. It wasn't unlike him to do such things, but he suddenly seemed more concerned with his duties than with his relationship with her.

_There's something going on. I should ask him about all this…_

Seyje thought about getting up, but never did. She felt weighed down by confliction.

_I trust Quinn. He would tell me if something was wrong. Wouldn't he? Then again, with the way he's been acting recently. _

The Sith sighed.

_Maybe I'm just overreacting. After all, he is in charge of the ship and can't give me his attention all the time. _

Seyje glanced towards the closed door of her quarters. She could feel Jaesa and Pierce in the training room. They were either sparring at very close distances or making out in a corner – the latter was more likely. Vette and Broonmark were mingling in the lounge. It had been somewhat strange for Seyje to watch, but the two very different companions seemed to get along rather well. She didn't understand how that was possible, but perhaps the Twi'lek's cheery personality had somehow offset the bloodthirsty ways of the Talz. Either way, it didn't matter to Seyje as long as they were happy.

As usual, Quinn was sitting in the bridge of the ship. Seyje had promised the crew a long time ago that she would never read their thoughts or emotions unless she had to. Jaesa had agreed to as well. But even from this far away, the Sith could feel the turmoil seeping off her Captain in waves.

_I just wish he would talk to me. I've barely seen him these past few days. _

A sense of loneliness came over the Sith she hadn't felt since her mission on Hoth. Seyje stood to go seek out Quinn, but as soon as she was on her feet, the door to her quarters hissed open to reveal the very man she was looking for in the doorway. A lump caught in her throat at his vacant expression.

"My lord, we've arrived at the ship. I took the liberty of connecting the airlocks. Whenever you are ready to depart," Quinn said with a quick nod.

He was there one second and gone the next before Seyje could utter a single word. She slowly sunk back onto the bed, unable to speak.

_He…didn't even ask what was wrong. _

She knew Quinn well enough to know that he could tell when she wasn't feeling herself. Surely he had noticed?

_Maybe he wasn't paying close enough attention, but – no, that would be so unlike him. _

It had been a long time since he had spoken to her in such a militaristic tone, much longer than she cared to remember.

_I haven't heard him talk like this since Balmorra and Nar Shaddaa. Is he driving me away? Did I do something wrong? _

Thoughts jumbled her mind. What could possibly be the cause of all this? It certainly wasn't normal behavior, and he seemed fine when they were on Voss. Had something happened to him that she wasn't aware of?

"My lord?"

Seyje jumped. She didn't even notice her apprentice appear in the doorway.

"Oh, Jaesa, come in," she mumbled, embarrassed at her lack of focus.

"No need, my lord," Jaesa said, eyeing her curiously. "I just came to remind you that the Captain is waiting for you."

Had it really been long enough that someone would come looking for her?

"Thank you, Jaesa. I'll be just a minute," Seyje said as she stood.

The Sith rummaged around the room for her other lightsaber which had apparently fallen off her belt last night after she draped her armor over a console. Her apprentice lingered, uncertain of what to do. Seyje glanced up.

"Do you need something, apprentice?" she asked curiously.

Jaesa opened her mouth to speak and stuttered a moment before figuring out what she wanted to say.

"It's, well – um – I know you said not to use the Force to our advantage around the others, but I've been sensing something is…off about Quinn," she admitted.

Seyje hesitated, then nodded in agreement.

"I trust he would tell me if something was wrong," she said with slight uncertainty. "I'm sure it's nothing, but we can discuss it further once I return if you'd like."

"I would appreciate that, my lord," Jaesa said relieved.

She turned and left, and although Seyje had convinced her apprentice, she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her gut.

_He would tell me, right? _

Seyje met Quinn at the entrance of the Fury of Darkness and departed without a word spoken between them, leaving the others mulling in confusion. They could tell something was up. As soon as they entered the other ship, the Sith knew something was awry.

_Where are all the Imperials?_

She followed her husband down a series of short hallways and an elevator, never seeing anyone other than a few astromech droids, which was strange considering what good shape the vessel appeared to be in. Everything appeared to have been built recently and had a glimmer to it that looked brand-new. It all looked very nice, but was also rather odd. Peering into the Force, she couldn't sense any other living beings other than the two of them.

Seyje tried reaching out to Quinn's mind, since he usually responded to her well in private, but was shocked to find a resilient wall blocking her.

_What the Force is going on? _

For an instant, she thought about going back for Jaesa, but thought better of it.

_If it's is so bad that he would shut me out like this, it's probably not something to be shared with the others. _

She continued to walk beside him in silence. After a couple more minutes, they entered a large circular room with panels lining the edge of the floor and the walls. Red lights dotted the room in pairs of ten, giving it an ominous glow. What was especially odd is how empty it was. There were no consoles or computers of any kind. It was just a room between two blast doors.

_This is the transponder station?_

She stopped, and reached out for Quinn's arm to speak to him. To her surprise, he kept walking until he was in the middle of the room, leaving her standing alone. A clanking sound caught her attention, and she turned her head to see the doors they had just come through rumble shut.

/iWhat's going on?/i

Looking forward again, Seyje saw Quinn stiffen and clasp his hands behind his back. Her heartbeat quickened with nerves.

"My lord, I regret that our paths must diverge," he said sullenly, glancing over his shoulder to look at her.

Seyje's stomach lurched. His eyes were clouded with emotion, but she did not have time to read them as he looked away. He spoke gently, but in such a way that it sounded like he was at a funeral trying to hide his feelings.

"Out of respect, I wanted to be here to witness your fate."

Seyje's head tilted with confusion. Diverge? Such a comment could only mean one thing. Her jaw dropped slightly.

_Is he…breaking up with me? _

The thought was sickening, but if it was true, it would explain his odd behavior.

"Have you found someone else?" she ventured.

Simply the idea of Quinn being with another woman was unthinkable, unimaginable – and infuriating.

"If you say it's not me, it's you, I won't be responsible for my actions," she warned threateningly, pointing a hand at him.

"It's not me or you," Quinn snapped, sounding slightly annoyed.

_Well...who else is there?_

"It's Darth Baras."

Seyje froze.

"I owe him more than you could imagine," Quinn stated bitterly, but there was a definite taste of surrender in his voice.

It was as if an invisible weight had been dropped on her head. Seyje couldn't move or think straight. This conversation was moving too fast in a direction it shouldn't be.

The Sith's head was reeling. How could Baras split them up? It's not like he was here to – wait. She gasped.

_Madaga Ru's prophecy. _

She stared at the back of the Captain's jacket, and her jaw gaped open in shock. It was Malavai? He was the betrayer?

_No…no, no! That impossible! I would've sensed it!_

The churning feeling in her gut hardened to stone and plummeted to her feet. Unaware of her discomfort, Quinn slowly turned fully around to face her, struggling to meet her opaque gaze.

"It pains me, but this entire scenario…is a ruse."

His voice faltered at the last word, and Seyje heard him take a shaky breath. She could feel the resentment seeping off him.

"There's no martial law and no special signal emitter," Quinn spat fiercely.

A fire of rage burned in his corneas, but was quickly subdued as Seyje felt the ever-changing atmosphere shift again.

"Baras is my true master," the Captain admitted coldly. "He had me lure you here to have you killed."

The hostility was quite clear in his voice, but it didn't change the meaning of the words.

_He's going to…kill me? _

She couldn't believe it. Her own husband would turn against her? Quinn gave away nothing on his face, his expression blank as always. Desperate, Seyje threw herself at his mind, expecting to be blocked, but instead the wall crumbled. All his emotions came rushing out like a river; resentment, hate, self-loathing. It was no relief though. One key thing was missing – regret.

_He doesn't care if I die. I don't mean anything to him. _

A sharp pain tore at the Sith's heart with merciless claws at the realization. It ripped and tore, fighting against her will to keep it together. She had trusted him, and was too blinded by love to see what was really going on here.

"I thought our relationship was real," Seyje hissed angrily in an attempt to hide the pain, but it did her no good.

The tears welled up. Unable to look at him, she turned her head away towards the floor and closed her eyes. Her trembling voice was barely above a whisper.

"I thought we cared about each other."

Quinn flinched. Her words had struck a heartstring – she could sense it – but he stubbornly held onto this façade he was now upholding.

"I didn't want to choose between the two of you," he said earnestly, talking a few steps to the left.

_But you did. _

Seyje glanced up to see he had his back to her once more. Every gesture he made to push her away punctured a new wound inside her.

"But he's forced my hand and I _must_ side with him," Quinn said sharply.

Seyje's hands balled into fists.

_No you don't! Damn it, Quinn, haven't you figured out I can protect you from Baras?_

She wanted to scream at him that he was an idiot whose mind was not in the right place, but before she could, the atmosphere shifted again and a lump formed in her throat.

No longer was Quinn conflicted or wavering between two masters. He had made his choice, and his aura proved it. The loathing, the resentment, the hate, everything was gone, replaced by a convicting sense of determination. As he turned around, his eyes met Seyje's with a steely gaze.

"Once you're gone, your crew will either join Baras with me…or be killed," he remarked, emphasizing the last word.

Was he threatening her?

_You're forgetting the most important detail here. _

"You know who I'm working for now, Captain. If you stand against me, you stand against the Emperor himself," she declared.

Seyje had been hoping to knock him off balance with such a comment, but Quinn had an equally deadly remark to shoot back.

"The Emperor is an absentee landlord," he pointed out. "Baras is doing what any real patriot would do."

_Patriot?! Is that what you think Baras is? _

The Sith snarled under her breath. She had put up with Quinn's stoic soldier act long enough. The past few days had been nothing but heartache for her – not anymore. The feeling could be bandaged up later.

A fiery heat shot up her spine. The driving rage of the Dark Side flowed through her veins, and she began to draw strength from it. With the power, she could see everything inside the Captain's mind.

_He actually thinks he can beat me. What a fool. _

Seyje scoffed.

"I really thought you were smarter than this," she hissed, her tone laced with disappointment.

_Marrying you was obviously a mistake. _

Quinn's eyes flashed.

"I'll show you how smart I am," he shot back mockingly.

A sneer crossed his lips, sending chills down her spine. Quinn was much too confident considering the situation he had put himself him. With his hands folded behind his back, he began to pace across the room in front of Seyje.

"After all this time observing you in battle, I have _exhaustively_ noted your strengths and weaknesses," he stated calmly.

Seyje's eyes narrowed. There was something she was missing here – something important.

Suddenly, the blast doors on the far side of the room in front of her opened. At first, she saw nothing, but after moving her head to glance around Quinn's shoulder, a gleam caught her eye and she flinched.

Two newly built Mark I war droids stood in the doorway. They were small in comparison to the transponder room, but big enough that they would tower over her if she stood next to one.

"These war droids have been programmed specifically to combat you," Quinn stated darkly.

The droids whirred and buzzed as they walked towards their maker. It sounded like someone had tried to electrify a garbage chute and failed, so they softened up the noise with soap.

"I calculate a near zero percent chance of their failure," the Captain boasted.

_If he were a Sith, I would be dead. _

Seyje could easily envision him as a lethal opponent. As it were, she still had the advantage – for now.

"Your confidence in the odds is your biggest weakness," she snapped, igniting her twin red lightsabers.

At the sound of the weapons, the two droids lifted and charged their blaster arms. A battle was imminent, and she wasn't about to let them have the first shots. Droids like those were nothing compared to some of the creatures she cut down on a daily basis. She heard Quinn chuckle to himself and a flare of anger rushed to her skull.

_He's mocking me. _

"If anything, I'm underestimating my droid's chances," he commented. "You'll find they are virtually immune to you."

_Hah! I think you'll find it's the other way around. _

She stepped to attack, but stopped dead in her tracks as the aura around the Captain suddenly changed drastically.

_He – what? _

It was not what she was expecting. His attitude was no longer callous and cruel. Instead, it felt extremely painful. Seyje met his gaze, and noticed his bottom lip was quivering.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, my lord," Quinn murmured.

She was stunned, frozen into place. There was truth behind his eyes. Seyje blinked, quickly rethinking the situation. Their entire conversation didn't mean a thing anymore. Quinn didn't want to do this, but something truly terrible had forced him to.

_He still cares about me, and if I'm right, he still loves me too. _

Quinn reached for his blaster with a trembling hand, and Seyje twirled her lightsabers with a flick of her wrists in response.

_I don't know what Baras did to you, Quinn, but I will find out and I will break you free from his grasp if it's the last thing I do. _

No longer was she just fighting for her life; she was fighting for his too.


	4. Retribution

The droids attacked first, but Seyje dodged it as an array of bullets flew through the air where she had been standing. She leapt at the first one closest to her and was about to slash its legs off when a jolting pain shot up her side. Seyje hissed and side-stepped away, using her twin lightsabers to shield her body. Glancing down, the Sith was shocked to see two thin laser marks across her hipline left by the second droid.

_Those machines were able to anticipate where I was going to be? How?_

She didn't have time to think about it as she jumped to the left to avoid the bullets being fired at her feet. With a snarl, Seyje leapt at the wall near the second droid to try and use it as leverage for an attack – but to no avail. The first droid spun and blasted the wall before she got there, causing the Sith to freeze up and fall to the ground. She spun on the ground to protect herself, but not before a few more lasers grazed her arms and legs.

_Damn it! It's like these droids know what I'm going to do before I actually do it. _

Seyje rolled to her feet and slashed out at the metal legs in front of her, but the second droid stepped back to avoid the weapons and instead fired a few shots across her exposed shoulders. She cursed herself and instead jumped back to the edge of the room where she started.

Quinn was staring at her in shock and had yet to fire a shot from his own gun. With a flick of her wrist, Seyje disarmed him and threw his weapon across the room. He did nothing to retrieve it.

At the motion, both droids simultaneously walked towards her and fired. The Sith leapt up, avoiding the blasts, and flew over their heads to land behind the droids. She spun and jumped forward, hoping to catch at least one of them by surprise, but the droids were faster than she anticipated and turned, whacking her out of the air with their metal arms.

Something cracked as Seyje was thrown to the floor with a loud thud. She drew a sharp breath, clutching her lungs. At least one, if not more, of her ribs were broken. The floor around her burst into a flurry of lasers once more, and the Sith was forced to move.

This battle was not going well for her all at. Her usual method of quick jump attacks wasn't working. Seyje couldn't even scathe the droids, much less destroy them, and here she was with broken ribs and burns all across her body.

_There's got to be a way to penetrate their defenses. But how?!_

She decided the only way she was going to make it out of this was by doing something either totally different or totally insane – the latter seemed more sensible in this situation. The Sith sheathed a lightsaber and leapt at the second droid. It stepped back quickly, firing shots, but they were deflected while Seyje continued to advanced towards it. The droid stumbled, and just as Seyje was about to severe off its head, it collapsed in on itself and rolled across to the other side of the room. The first droid imitated the movements until both stood in front of the doors they came through. Seyje froze, stunned by the droids' capabilities. She snarled in frustration at the machines.

_I am a Sith, damn it, I should be crushing those two hunks of metal with ease. Why is this so hard?_

With a determined growl, Seyje rushed forward at the droids. The machines whirred and buzzed, collapsing into balls and rolling away from each other to opposite sides of the room. However, Seyje hesitated only a moment in the middle of the floor and saw her chance to make an attack. While the second droid was still rolled up, she leapt at it and landed on one of its legs. Surprised, the droid opened back up and tried to fire, but she was too close and the bullets missed, hitting the floor instead. Seyje took the chance to slice off the blasters on the droid's arms, then grabbed the droid's protruding shoulder piece and flipped her body over until she was standing behind its head with both feet on one of its legs. She winced at the pain in her ribcage, but ignored it.

The first droid droned incessantly at the problem presented to it, but seemingly decided it didn't matter and fired at its droid brother. The second one, carrying the Sith, scrambled out of the way. It dashed around with rapid, jerky movements to try and throw her off. Seyje held on for dear life, determined not to fall, but her body being yanked around sent blinding pain through her chest. With a final lurch, the Sith was thrown off the droid and hit the wall behind it, collapsing to her knees.

Without its guns, the second droid was left with razor-sharp ridges on its arms instead of blasters. The droid spun around and launched itself at her just as she was standing up, and its arms sliced right through her wrists and pinned her to the wall.

Seyje screamed in agony as her skin was punctured. The vein in her right wrist severed and blood spewed out of the wound onto the droid and the wall. Her left wrist was luckier as no major arteries had been hit, but it still bled profusely. The Sith gasped and writhed against the droid's hold, but it was unwavering. Kicking out did her no good as the droid's core was too far away from her feet. Her mind began to blur at the loss of blood, and she felt herself physically weakening.

The buzzing sound of the first droid caught her attention, and she lifted her head up to see it standing in front of her behind its brother droid. Seyje growled with frustration, trying again to free herself, but the movements only caused the droid's arm to tear deeper into her wrist and increase the flow of blood. It didn't help her broken ribs either.

_Damn it…_

The Sith slumped against the wall, enraged but exhausted. She heard the first droid charging its guns.

_So this is how I die? Betrayed by my husband and blasted to pieces by a couple machines? That's just great. So how did you get to hell? Oh, I was taken out by a pair of droids programmed by the Captain of my ship. Really? You must've been one stupid Sith to trust a puny human like that. _

A ragged breath shook her chest. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

_Yea…stupid me…_

Strands of red hair fell in front of her face as Seyje bowed her head. She was not going to give her killers the pleasure of looking at her as she died as they stood there droning at each other.

Suddenly, the droids started shaking and blaring loudly at each other. The Sith looked up with alarm just in time to see a laser bullet blast the first droid in the face, effectively taking out its red window of vision. The second droid stumbled backwards, yanking its arms out of Seyje's wrists and releasing her from the wall. She collapsed to the ground in a puddle of blood and stared in shock at the droids. Where had that shot come from? And what on earth could've provoked such behavior? It's like they weren't even interested in her anymore.

Then it hit her.

_Quinn. _

Seyje's head snapped up and she saw the Captain standing behind the droids with his gun aimed at them. With his other hand, she noticed him slide a datapad back into his belt and her eyes widened.

_He altered their programming?_

Without its ability to see, the first droid who had been about to deliver the death blow, spun in circles and began blasting shots at every corner of the room. The second droid whirred and focused its tiny box on Quinn. It scrambled towards him at an alarming rate, startling both the Captain and Seyje. He fired a few shots at the droid, but it dodged. As soon as it was close enough, the droid lashed out with its blood-stained arms and sliced right through the side of Quinn's jacket. He cried out in pain and stumbled backwards. The droid advanced further, slicing its arms back and forth in an attempt to impale Quinn, but the Captain rolled to the side to dodge.

Seyje cursed under her breath as she watched.

_He thinks getting these droids to switch their targets is just going to make things all better? _

She momentarily considered letting the droids cut him to pieces.

_He would deserve it, that's for sure. _

As angry as she was, Seyje knew that if Quinn died, she would never be able to forgive herself. Another shout of frustration echoed from across the room and she looked over to see that one of the first droid's stray bullets had hit the Captain right in the leg.

The Sith snarled angrily and slowly stood up. The bottom half of her skirt was soaked in blood from her left wrist, which was still bleeding considerably.

_This had better work. _

The second droid was still on top of Quinn while the first one was rampaging around on the right side of the room. The Sith reached out with the Force, grabbing a hold of the legs on the second droid. It stopped in its tracks, droning with surprise, and flailed its arms wildly as its legs were immobilized. Quinn's gaze darted to her, but she ignored him and focused on the machine. It was big and very difficult to grab; it tried resisting her but was overwhelmed.

With a determined growl, Seyje yanked the second droid backwards into the first droid. The two machines collided with a screeching bang, toppling both of them over. The amount of effort she put into the action made her want to throw up in her weakened state, but still she persisted. She dug deeper into herself for strength, and with a final push she threw both droids into the wall of transponder station.

The two droids exploded in a massive burst of metal shards and flaming heat. Seyje was thrown backwards and slammed her head against the opposite walls. The whole room began to spin before her eyes. Her muscles were shaking and her ears were ringing. Then, everything went silent.

The explosion knocked Quinn off his feet and sent his blaster spinning across the room. It took a few minutes for the ringing to stop, but once everything appeared normal again he sat up. A fiery pain shot up his side and he hissed. Glancing down, he saw a small shard of metal had impaled him right underneath his ribcage. The Captain tried to pull it out, but it was stubborn. He sighed quietly.

_This is a bad idea. _

With a rough yank, the shard slid out with a grotesque pop. The wound immediately started bleeding, as Quinn suspected, and he retrieved a medpac from his pack to treat it. A few moments was all it took him for a minimal but effective patching up.

Suddenly, Quinn's head snapped up.

_Seyje. _

His eyes darted wildly around the room for his Sith lord, and he caught sight of her lying motionless on the floor directly across from the burning wreckage. A lump caught in his throat.

_Oh no…_

He stood up and started to walk over to her, but his feet dragged across the floor. An icy fear swelled up in his chest. Had he actually succeeded? No, that shouldn't be possible. It _couldn't_ be. Quinn stopped in his tracks a few feet away from the Sith. Harsh burns scorched the visible skin on her body. Splatters of blood were splashed everywhere on this side of the room, like someone had decided to make a painting with the red liquid. It was nothing less of sickening. The Captain suddenly felt like he was going to throw up. This was wrong. It was all wrong.

_I've lost her._

A looming cloud hovered over Quinn's head, threatening to pour out an endless rain of despair. He stumbled to the right, pulling at the hair on his head to try and loosen the pressure building up. Just before he could completely lose his mind, the Captain felt something stir inside him. Startled, he took a few steps back, but the feeling didn't go away. Instead, it continued to grow as Quinn's strength slowly began to wane.

He heard a stifled groan, and a butterfly of hope fluttered its wings in his chest. With wide eyes, the Captain watched as Seyje awakened herself and realized that she was drawing his own strength to replenish hers. At first, he willingly gave it up, but then he began to wonder what would happen once she was fully awake and hesitated. She was going to be furious, without a doubt, but there was nothing Quinn could do to stop her from stealing his energy. He wasn't a Force-sensitive like her.

After a few minutes, the Captain's legs began to quiver and he was forced to his knees. The wound in his side began to ache. At the same time, Seyje stood up to face him and Quinn had his first real look at what he had done to her.

The red skirt hanging off her waist was visibly soaked in blood, and one side had been sliced open to reveal a metal shard in her leg. The once smooth skin on her hipbones and shoulders was black and red with burns. Various other places on her arms had been victimized, but not nearly as bad or as directly. Dried blood caked her armbands and most of her upper arms. At closer look, Quinn realized her right wrist was still bleeding.

_The droid must've cut open a vein. _

His eyes met hers, and a cold dread settled on his chest. Her sapphire blue orbs were tainted a light purple as the fiery red threads of anger burned in her corneas. It was a look given to only those she was truly furious with, and how he was on the receiving end of what true terror felt like.

Despite his fear, Quinn felt like an complete idiot. Seeing the droids almost kill Seyje had been enough to knock the sense into his brain that what he was doing was totally wrong, and now he was going to pay for it.

"I should've known," he hissed, finding the energy to stand.

Seyje's expression shifted slightly to give him an amused look, as if she had expected such a response from him all along.

"I thought I'd programmed the perfect killing machine for you," he admitted, receiving another harsh glare. "I was painstakingly precise."

Why he felt the need to say such things to her was a mystery. In truth though, he had almost succeeded. If he hadn't entered in the non-distinction code when the droids had her pinned against the wall, she would've been killed – and they both knew it. Still, she had saved him life after the machines turned on him, and thus was rewarded the victory of the battle.

Seyje scoffed, rolling her eyes at him.

"This proves you are inept," she snapping, waving her injured arm dismissively. "I'm better off without someone who makes such a mistake."

Quinn repressed a gasp. Did she mean that? She was planning to break off their relationship? His stomach sank.

_Of course she is, she's a Sith and I just tried to kill her. _

"Perhaps you're right…" Quinn murmured as he broke his gaze away.

As if stabbing her in the back wasn't bad enough, now he was going to have to live alongside her as nothing more than a person to be called upon to do her will.

_Blast it, how could I have been so stupid?_

"I have betrayed you. Conspired with your most hated enemy," he said with a burning tongue.

The vision of her being tortured in a Korriban prison flashed through his mind again, sending a dark tremor of terror down his spine. It could still happen, but the likelihood had now been greatly reduced.

After a few moments of silence, he looked back up at Seyje. She was still glaring at him, and he realized she was waiting for something he had never been very good at – apologizing. Quinn took a deep breath.

"I know it is meaningless to express my deep regret. I don't expect your mercy," he said quietly, bowing his head to her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw her flinch, but it didn't matter. She snarled under her breath.

"It's useless to defy me," she declared.

The Captain braced himself, but he wasn't prepared for what Seyje had in mind. Quinn was suddenly thrown backwards and slammed into the blast doors on the other side of the room. A surprised shout escaped his lips, which transformed to a pained groan as he fell and hit the ground.

In a daze, he slowly got to his feet. He saw Seyje strutting across the room towards him, eyes aglow with red light. She was absolutely furious. The memory of meeting her for the first time flashed in his mind. How different she had been back then, innocent and naïve – definitely not the same Sith that he was facing now. Over the years, she had been hardened by Baras' manipulation and constant fighting for the Empire.

Seyje extended her left arm towards him, and Quinn suddenly felt his airways cut off. He gasped loudly, struggling to breath, but the Sith didn't even flinch. It took a matter of seconds before he fell to his knees from dizziness. His hands grabbed at his throat desperately, but it did nothing to help.

_Is she really going to kill me?_

The grip suddenly loosened, and a raspy cough shook the Captain's chest. He looked at Seyje in confusion. Her extended hand was trembling, and her whole body shook with exhaustion. She couldn't keep her hold much longer, but it didn't matter – Quinn was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen in his brain regardless. Something twinkled on the left cheek, and for a second Quinn felt a glimmer of hope. Then his vision blurred, and he felt himself falling forward into blackness.

The instant Quinn lost conscious, Seyje released her grip. It would've been so easy to snap the vertebrae in his neck with a twitch of her finger, but she couldn't go through with it.

_I can't kill him…damn it, Quinn, why did you have to do this? Don't you have any idea how much I loved you? How much I still do? _

She collapsed in a heap of blood, tears, and raging emotions. Her anger was nothing but a tiny flame washed over with a wave of heart-break made of splinters of glass that prickled and poked at every last nerve in her body. Blood continued to seep out of her wrists, and the Sith suddenly felt light-headed. She knew that if she didn't stop the bleeding soon, it would kill her. She had already lost a lot of blood, more than a normal person would've been able to withstand before passing out.

Seyje made her way to Quinn's limp form and dug around for his medpac. Upon opening it, she noticed some of the supplies had already been used. It was then that she saw the hole in Quinn's jacket and the bandaged skin underneath. Turning her attention to herself, the Sith spent the next few painful minutes making two crude cast-like wrappings on her arms. Her chest stung like crazy, but she was no good at repairing broken bones and settled for a pain-killer adrenal instead. She then removed the shard from her leg and wrapped up her calf. The burns on her body would have to wait until they returned to the ship for the proper ointments. To be safe, Seyje shot a syringe of kolto into her bloodstream, and after a moment's hesitation, did the same for Quinn.

She stood and looked down at his unconscious body to wait. It took her a second to realize that if she left his stuff everywhere, he would think she forgave him, and that certainly wasn't the case. After a moment's deliberation, Seyje dragged his limp form to the middle of the room. If it appeared that she had done something else, then he wouldn't get the wrong idea.

The Sith slowly knelt down next to the Captain and brushed a hand against his left cheek, smiling softly as her touch grazed over the mole.

_I'm still furious at you, make no mistake, but you've always been one handsome brute, haven't you?_

Her smile faded into a confused gaze.

_Why did you do it, Quinn? What could possibly have been so terrible that you would turn against me? _

Her hand trailed from his face to his chest, and Seyje could feel his steady heartbeat beneath her fingertips. What once brought her comfort now brought a stab of heartache instead. All she wanted was for things to go back to the way they were. The Sith wiped a tear off her face – she didn't even realize she was still crying.

_Why?_

Suddenly, she felt Quinn's mind stirring in the Force. Quickly, she stood up and wiped her emotions clean. The last thing he had seen was her rage, so that's what he was going to wake up with.

To make her point, Seyje used her foot to push Quinn over onto his back. His left arm flopped against the ground with a slap as she took a few steps back. His blue eyes flew open and he gasped loudly. After a moment's hesitation, he rolled onto his side and coughed as he stood up. When he turned to face her, Seyje saw a glimpse of nervousness matched with fear. She folded her bandaged arms across her chest and glared at Quinn.

"I will keep you alive, and we will see if you earn my trust again," she snarled crossly.  
Quinn's eyes widened.

"My lord, I'm…this is unexpected," he said with surprise.

Seyje could see he was greatly relieved, and he even went on to admit it.

"Darth Baras would _never_ forgive such a failure."

A crooked smile appeared on Quinn's lips that tampered the anger in the Sith's heart. She was equally as glad that the Dark Side hadn't gotten the best of her, but the pained confusion still remained. The humor faded off of Quinn's face and his aura became that of his usual Imperial officer stance, the same one that had drawn Seyje to him so long ago on Balmorra.

"If you permit me to stay in your charge, my dedication to you will never come into question again," he insisted.

_I shouldn't have to question it in the first place. _

The Sith was silent for a moment, considering the best way to answer him. The heartache beat loudly in her ears, and the rage surged forward in her chest.

"I will not hesitate to destroy you the next time," she spat fiercely, blinking back tears.

"There will be no next time. I swear," Quinn promised, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

He bowed to prove his point, but Seyje waited a moment to see if he would crack. As he straightened up, the fierce loyalty in his eyes was unchanged. The Sith nodded slowly.

"Trust is difficult to rebuild, Quinn," she said quietly.

The Captain winced at the words, and looked away in disappointment. The action yanked at the Sith's heartstrings. His brokenness was just as painful to her as it was to him.

"But I'm willing to try," Seyje murmured softly.

She let her arms fall to her side to assure him and force herself to accept the fact that she also didn't have a choice. Even if Seyje wanted to push him away, which she didn't, her heart would never ever let him go. Quinn noticeably relaxed as he realized there was still a chance to save their relationship.

"I'll understand if things are…different for a while," he said slowly.

The Sith pursed her lips.

_You mean until I can trust you again. _

Quinn straightened up and his eyes tightened.

"This interruption has delayed you enough," he added guiltily. "I'm eager to return to the ship and put this behind us."

Seyje looked at him curiously.

_You think returning to the Fury of Darkness is just going to fix everything? _

She decided it was better to discuss this with him later. Her emotions were still fluctuating too much between anger and hurt for her to keep up this conversation. The Sith turned on her heels and walked past the wreckage on the other side of the room. With a quick twist of her hand, the remaining sparks in the metal heap burst into a roaring flame that fully extinguished all traces of the two war droids. Quinn jumped, startled by the action, but kept quiet.

As they made their way back through the ship to the airlock, Seyje noticed how the Captain remained a good couple feet behind her. A part of her was glad that he was giving her space, another part was still red-hot with fury, and yet a third part missed him terribly. She wasn't used to walking alone without someone at her side, even if she did have a slight limp at the moment. Her ribs were incredibly sore, and her right hand was starting to go numb. It wouldn't surprise her if the nerves in her arm had been permanently damaged.

_I hope he realizes exactly what he's done. _

She could sense the turmoil from Quinn and knew there had to be something more behind the barrier in his mind. Their bond was tangible and nearly unbreakable; while it was seriously strained at the moment, Seyje knew it had to be affecting him just as much as it was her. The pain in her chest was more than just the broken ribs.

When they returned to the airlock, the Sith took a deep breath to regain her composure before turning to face Quinn.

"The ship is through there," she said sharply, pointing to her left. "Prepare for departure. I'll join you shortly."

"Of course, my lord," Quinn said with a nod.

He turned to leave, and just as Seyje was about to beeline for another room where she could be alone, he stopped and turned back with a worried look in his eye.

"One thing, my lord – do you plan on telling the others what happened?" Quinn asked apprehensively, shifting uncomfortably.

Without even reading his thoughts, Seyje knew exactly what he was thinking. Things were going to have to change between them, and the crew would most definitely notice. Even if she tried to lie to them, they were bound to figure it out eventually. Seyje was going to be returning with injuries they had never seen on any Sith before, and she couldn't come up with any viable excuse that would convince them.

Seyje sighed unhappily.

"When it's appropriate, I will inform them," she murmured quietly.

A new kind of fear flickered behind the Captain's eyes, but quickly vanished.

"I appreciate it, my lord," he said stiffly, bowing his head. "I will see you back at the ship."

At that moment, Seyje wanted nothing more than to grab Quinn by the collar of his shirt and pull him in for a kiss. It probably wouldn't fix anything, but it sure as hell would make her feel better – or maybe not.

The Sith waited until she heard the second airlock hiss shut before falling to her knees. Here, in private, she could let everything out without fear of being caught – and did she ever. Seyje held nothing back as she screamed into the empty hallways of the vessel; fury, resentment, hurt, confusion, misery, and others that she couldn't even identify. Salty tears streamed down her face onto her tongue as the emotions raged. How was she supposed to deal with this? It was overwhelmingly wrong and hurtful. The Sith banged a fist on the wall by the airlock and immediately regretted it as the blood started to seep through bandages on her wrist.

"Why did you do it, Malavai, why?!" she sobbed.

Rage rose fiercely and overrode all other emotions.

"I fought for you! I risked my life for you! And this is what you do to me? Turn to a false master to try and kill me? Well guess what, you almost succeeded!"

Seyje turned her head to the ceiling, eyes ablaze.

"Are you satisfied, Baras? Is this what you wanted all along? To break me down by turning him against me? Well I hope you're happy!"

She choked on the lump in her throat and sunk to the floor, burying her face in her hands.

"Because it worked…"

The Sith pulled her knees to her chest and sat there sobbing for much longer than she planned.

_I just don't understand. Why did you do it, Malavai? Why couldn't I foresee this? _

Images began to flash through her mind: meeting Quinn on Balmorra, denying his request for reassignment by stealing a kiss, walking together through House Thul on Alderaan, assisting him in taking down Moff Broysc, seeing him again after her mission on Hoth. All Seyje had ever wanted from the moment she met him was to make him the man she knew he could become. The romance that had evolved was just a bonus. There was only one thing stopping her from achieving her goal.

_Baras. _

Seyje snarled fiercely as the hatred within her swelled. Red tendrils of energy swirled around her body and dried the tears on her face. She was fed up with her old master. All the lies, the deceit, the tricks, and now the forced betrayal of her husband. _He_ was the cause of all her pain, and _he_ was going to pay for it dearly. The Sith stood up, her hands balling into fists. Although she still needed answers from Quinn, he was not the center of her focus anymore.

"I'm going to take you down, Baras," she threatened.

She whirled around and burst through the airlocks.

_If it's the last thing I do._


	5. Resolution

Seyje walked through the airlock into the ship and was surprised to find Quinn standing just inside the doorway. He jumped as soon as she appeared, but quickly turned his gaze away and sullenly followed her into the main lobby of the ship. The crew was seated on the plush couches, waiting anxiously. They stood as soon as the two of them appeared, but Seyje simply shook her head and sent Quinn off to the medbay while she retreated to her quarters. All eyes darted between the two of them with confusion, but no answers were given. Jaesa and Vette dashed after the Sith, following her into her quarters.

"What happened to _you_?" the Twi'lek asked.

Seyje ignored the question. She dug around in the multiple drawers of her room, looking for any extra medical supplies so she wouldn't have to go to the medbay, and cursed under her breath when there were none to be found.

"Master, won't you at least talk to us?" Jaesa begged.

"There's nothing to talk about," Seyje muttered as she rummaged through yet another drawer.

Vette stomped over to her and snatched up her wrist. The Sith hissed in pain and looked up into the glaring Twi'lek's eyes.

"You're injured. You're angry. And you're telling me there's nothing to talk about?" Vette demanded.

Her lekku twitched with the frustration in her voice. Seyje noticed Jaesa looked equally as anxious. With a huff, the Sith yanked her arm away, revealing the blood-stained bandage.

"No. There isn't," she snapped crossly.

"Master, you're bleeding!" Jaesa exclaimed.

She rushed to the Sith's side and took the bandaged arms into her hands. Seyje tried to pull away, but wasn't fast enough. Jaesa flinched as a drop of blood seeped out into her palm. Vette shook her head.

"That does it. You may not want to talk right now, but you're sure as hell going to the medbay this instant," she said starkly.

There was no resisting the two of them, so Seyje allowed them to guide her through the ship. Broonmark and Pierce gave her puzzled glances as the trio walked by, but the only answer they received was a shrug from Vette.

They reached the medbay just as Quinn was leaving. He visibly winced when he caught sight of Seyje, and fled to another part of the ship before Jaesa or Vette could question him. They went inside and Seyje seated herself on a bed. Her apprentice immediately started gathering the necessary supplies.

"Ok, now that was wierd. What was up with him?" Vette demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.

Seyje glanced up at her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked blankly.

The Twi'lek stared at her incredulously. Even Jaesa paused to give her a funny look.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that your own husband just ran away from you when really he should be the one in here fixing you up," Vette pointed out.

Seyje's stomach tightened. She couldn't have this conversation with them. Not right now. It was still too soon to tell them anything. Besides, she didn't even have answers to any of her own questions yet. The Sith turned her head away and stared at the floor.

"It's not for me to say," she whispered. "Not yet."

The two girls glanced nervously at each other. The tension in the air was almost suffocating as the silence ticked by.

"Master, did Quinn…do something?" Jaesa asked.

The words dug deeper than they should have. Seyje stiffened and tightened her jaw, determined not to give away anything, but the way the two girls gasped told her she already did.

"But why would he – you two are – I mean..."

Seyje glared up at the stuttering Twi'lek, her gaze jumping between the two girls.

"We will not speak of it again. Understood?" she snapped, her voice cracking like a whip.

"But master!" Jaesa exclaimed in protest.

"Not. A. Word," Seyje snarled.

Her cold fury stunned the two girls. They slowly nodded in agreement and resumed their work on treating her wounds. The burns on her hips and shoulders were fairly easy to treat, as well as the cut on her leg, but when Jaesa unwrapped the bandages on her wrists, Vette had to turn away. The sight was nauseating. Maroon blood was caked along the first four inches of both wrists. The bone in her right arm could be seen amidst the shredded flesh. A fraction of metal was imbedded in the vein, and removing it required both of the girls. Afterwards, Vette left the room saying she couldn't handle anymore, leaving Jaesa to finish up. Once she did, the Sith returned to her quarters and locked the door.

No one saw Seyje or Quinn for the next couple days. The Sith stayed in her locked quarters, appearing only to change the bandages on her wounds, and the Captain remained in his mysterious hiding spot. Pierce and Broonmark tried to find out what happened from Vette and Jaesa, but the girls had no answer to give. None of them knew where to go from here, or if they were even going to continue on to Corellia.

After three days, Quinn made his way to the hall outside Seyje's quarters. The rest of the crew sat watching him from the lounge. They had gathered to try and formulate a plan of action. Not a word was spoken as he walked by.

The door to the Sith's room slid open.

"What do you want?" Seyje snapped as soon as she caught sight of the man in front of her.

Her wounds had healed considerably well, but her wrists and chest were still tightly bandaged to ensure proper recovery.

"We need to talk."

"I have no interest in talking to you, Captain."

"Well I do. This has to end."

The edge in Quinn's voice captured her interest. He wasn't normally so blunt with her. The Sith crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway. Regardless of his new attitude, he had still betrayed her.

"It never should've started," she stated coldly.

Quinn noticeably stiffened. He gritted his teeth together as his eyebrows narrowed.

"I told you, I didn't have a choice," he snarled with frustration.

_Well, well, look who's finally showing some real emotion. _

"You always had a choice…and you chose wrong," Seyje hissed.

Her icy voice cut through the air like nails on a chalkboard. The anger in the Captain deflated and he turned his head away in shame.

"I had my reasons."

Though his voice was low, it was laced with confliction. Seyje's jaw dropped.

"Reasons?!" she spat furiously.

_How can he even say that?!_

She stood up straight and glared at Quinn. Her hands balled into shaking fists. The rage surging through her veins was acidic and dangerous. He looked up and flinched. Quinn's hands flew to the front of his chest as he took a defensive step backwards. His voice trembled slightly when he spoke.

"My lord, I assure you-"

Seyje took a threatening stride towards him.

"You tried to _kill_ me, Quinn!" she shouted.

The instant the words were out, the Sith froze as she realized they weren't alone. The entire aura of the ship suddenly changed. Simultaneously, the two of them turned their heads towards the central lounge. The rest of the crew was on their feet, staring at the pair with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

"Damn it," Seyje hissed under her breath.

She grabbed Quinn by the collar of his jacket and yanked him roughly through the open doorway behind her. Jaesa started to say something, but they didn't hear it as the door clanged shut. Seyje hadn't been planning on telling the crew like that, but the secret was out. She locked the door and turned to face the Captain. His face had paled considerably.

"You wanted to talk, well now's your chance," she said sharply.

Quinn shook his head, as if coming out of a trance, and he took a deep breath.

"Let me start by saying I never wanted to do this."

"You already told me that."

"What else can I say?" Quinn asked desperately, barely even fazed by her harsh interruption.

Seyje gave him a mean look.

"You can say that you're an idiot for listening to Baras in the first place."

The Captain's eyes flashed with a spark of anger.

"You think it's that simple?"

"Of course it is!" Seyje exclaimed.

Quinn scoffed, turning his shoulder to her.

"You are terribly mistaken," he chided.

The Sith's temper flared.

"Oh really? How so?" she snapped furiously.

Quinn whirled around and glared at her with blazing fury in his iris'. Seyje could almost see him quivering with rage.

"What would you have done if you were in my position?!" he shouted.

"I would've told Baras to shove it back down his conceited throat!" she spat back with just as much fire in her eyes.

The atmosphere heated up quickly, but cooled just as fast as Quinn took a few steps away from her, turning away once more. He crossed his arms across his chest and looked out the single window in the Sith's quarters.

"It's not that easy. I would be nothing without him," the Captain said quietly.

"That's what you think," Seyje mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"You wouldn't understand."

His low voice was laced with a troubled misery that stung at the Sith's angered heart. She took a bold stride towards him, lashing out with equal angst in her voice.

"Then explain it to me so I can! Tell me what happened! Tell me why you did it!"

_Isn't that why he came to me? So that we could come to an understanding with each other? I want to fix this – so badly – but I can't without his help. _

Seyje stared blankly at the back of his jacket. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder to try and soothe him as well as herself, but he shied away from it and her arm fell limply back to her side.

"After all our time together, what could possibly be so horrible that you would actually try to kill me?" she whispered.

_And turn away from me like this?_

A tremor went through Quinn's body, and he barely managed to utter two single words.

"I can't."

Seyje sighed and took a step back.

"Then you leave me no other alternative."

The Captain whirled around with fearful eyes.

"No. You promised you wouldn't," he said quickly, but his words were meaningless.

She closed her eyes and opened herself up to the Force, letting it thrum vibrantly through her body. Within its threads, she could sense a pandemonium of chaos within Quinn.

"Seyje, please…" Quinn begged. "Don't."

As difficult as it was, she ignored the plea and pushed into his mind. It was like digging through the layers of the earth. The surface of his mind was a blank white sheet of resolve to hide whatever was lurking underneath. Just below was a gray area blurred with loneliness and regret that held a trail leading further back in his mind.

The next part held the memories of the transponder station. The Sith could feel his determination to stay committed to the task, but as soon as the second droid had her pinned, it was like someone had slapped him in the face. The feeling transformed to a sickened horror, and Seyje continued deeper into his mind as she knew how the rest of it played out.

This layer was dark, as if someone had dimmed out the lights, but she could still see the memories. Baras was on the holo of her ship, which surprised the Sith to see that she never found out about it. She listened to the manipulative words of her old master and felt Quinn's fluctuating emotions as her own as he stood up to Baras. A bold move, but it didn't last. The scene shifted slightly and ended with Quinn quietly crying in the Captain's chair. Seyje paused.

_Something's missing. _

She pressed further and heard Quinn yelp loudly at her feet. No doubt he could feel the effects of her rummaging around in his memories and was likely watching them with her. Beyond the desolate space, Seyje found the center of his mind. At first she was fascinated, but quickly became deeply disturbed. It was swimming with every emotion he had kept hidden from the world. She was struck at how intense everything was; it was almost too much for her.

_How long has he been keeping these emotions bottled up like this?_

Self-hatred was there, deeply furrowed alongside coils of fury, resentment, and close by was a sharp tendril of pain made up entirely of despair and regret. At the very core, Seyje found a tightly wound up ball that emitted a fear drowned in darkness she had never seen before. The insanity of the Dark Side radiated from it, lashing out against whatever approached. Whatever was inside this coil of terror was the key to discovering the reasoning behind Quinn's actions.

Seyje pushed against it, and Quinn fought back _hard._ She tried again but was not going to get in unless she loosened up the rest of his mind first. Seyje furiously dug around in the other parts of his head, causing the Captain to groan in pain and buckle to the floor – still he blocked her.

_What is so terrible that he would put this much effort into hiding it from me?_

There was only one way to get in there. The Sith shot out a blast of Force energy. It caught Quinn by surprise, and Seyje cracked open the core before he could recover, drawing a strangled cry from his throat. An image appeared.

_Is that…me?_

The Sith saw herself in what appeared to be a dungeon, like the ones she had seen on Korriban, and she was chained to a wall. Baras stood a few feet away and was electrifying her. It was horrifying, but it wasn't the real cause of Quinn's pain.

As she watched, the image began to warp into something else entirely. It was still her in the same dungeon, but the situation was much worse. Where her eyes should've been, there were two bloodied sockets, charred black along the edges. Her ribs were poking out underneath the sickly gray skin on her chest. On her thin body hung the tattered remains of her once impressive armor, now stained red and torn to shreds. Baras stood across from her and sent out a blast of electricity at the rusted metal bands pinning her to the wall. A shrill screech echoed through the chamber. It was worse than anything she'd ever heard before, and she could almost smell the burnt flesh.

Chills crept down Seyje's back as she watched herself slide out of the bonds holding her captive. When her other self fell forward, the Sith's stomach lurched. All across her back were the painted marks of scars and fresh wounds from a vibroknife.

_It can't be…_

The image turned, and Seyje repressed a gasp as she saw Quinn himself had appeared at Baras' side. He held the bloodied weapon. The expression on his face was blank for a moment, but it turned into a malicious grin that made the Sith's blood turn cold. The cackling laugh of her old master rang in her head and mixed with the sound of another scream.

Unable to watch anymore, Seyje withdrew from the Captain's mind. She took a shaky breath and stepped back. Her pounding heart raced with her mind.

_What did I just see?_

A pitiful whimper suddenly caught her attention, and the Sith looked down to see Quinn's hunched over form trembling. She knelt down and put a quivering hand on his shoulder. The anguish poured out of him in cries of despair. In all her years, she had never felt such torment inside a person.

"Quinn," Seyje whispered, brushing her hand against his cheek. "Look at me."

The Captain choked back a sob, but stubbornly kept his gaze on the floor. She gently cupped his chin in her hand and turned his head up. Tears were streaming down his face, but still he would not look at her.

"Malavai…"

Her agonized voice was barely audible. Slowly, the light blue orbs traveled up until they met the Sith's sapphire gaze. Seyje gasped. The look on his face was empty and desolate, nothing like the confident officer she usually saw. The shock hit her like a lightning bolt - his spirit had been broken.

"What has Baras done to you?" she murmured.

She should've been furious, in a rage at her former master, but she couldn't be. All her thoughts were completely focused on the man in front of her. At first, it seemed he would block her out again. Then, he completely broke down and fresh tears spilled out of his eyes. Without a second thought, Seyje wrapped her arms around him as he sobbed into her shoulder.

Now she understood. Baras had planted the image in Quinn's mind – then sat back and waited while the Captain's creativity took over, creating this monster of terror within his head that devoured all rational thinking. The fear at the core of his mind had been so strong, it had driven him to do the unthinkable.

Seyje pulled Quinn closer to her. She could sense how incredibly guilty he felt and it tore her apart. She felt an overwhelming need to rid him of this despair he was clinging to. It was literally eating him alive.

"Quinn," she murmured softly.

Her intent was to tell him she wanted to help, but she was suddenly interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Seyje," Quinn whispered hoarsely. "I'm so sorry."

It took a moment for the Sith to find her voice again. The Captain had a queer way of apologizing, but never before had he actually said the word 'sorry' to her. Before she could say anything, he continued, this time with a steadier voice.

"I never should've done this. It was so wrong of me. I don't deserve–"

He was silenced as Seyje lifted his head up to look at her. She didn't need his words to know he was being sincere. There was nothing left for Quinn to hide. A half-smile played across her lips.

"I forgive you, Quinn," Seyje murmured.

The Captain stared at her, paralyzed in place. She peeked into his mind – it was totally blank. After everything he had done and everything she had seen, he couldn't comprehend how she could possibly forgive him so easily.

Suddenly, the black core that had controlled Quinn for so long burst with a blinding light. It came crashing down on the Sith's conscious like a tidal wave, and she was swept up in a whirlwind of powerful love.

The Captain yanked Seyje towards him and kissed with a fervor she hadn't felt in a long time. No longer was he bound by fear – those chains had been broken. The purity of this emotion is what had been truly controlling Quinn all along, not the darkness. He had desperately wanted to protect Seyje from what he saw. Seyje was moved with compassion. It wasn't out of fear for Baras that caused Quinn to act; it was out of love for her.

The Sith crushed her lips against his while drawing him into her mind. She had seen his thoughts. Now he was going to see hers. Seyje revealed everything to him: every bit of emotional torment, anger, and pain was brought forward. She felt him flinch and sensed a twinge of guilt, but he didn't draw away. Instead, he dug deeper to see if he could find a counterpart for the burning passion he held.

Seyje lit the match, and they were enveloped in flames of love. The fiery tongues entwined with one another, burning their mark on both their hearts. Neither one could exist without the other. The bond had been broken and reborn into a steel connection that could never be severed. They were soul mates, irreplaceable and meant to be together forever.

It was Quinn who broke away first from the kiss. When Seyje looked into his eyes, she was ecstatic to see that the darkness had been completely washed away. Not a single trace of it remained. Her Captain had been remade into a new man, one that would never be controlled by anyone else ever again. He was finally free.

However, he held a troubled look on his face, one that worried the Sith.

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

Quinn took her hands into his and let his fingers twiddle with the jewelry on her left ring-finger. He was quiet for a few minutes before answering the question.

"You…gave up."

It sounded more like a statement than a question, so Seyje stayed silent. He looked back up at her with an unreadable expression.

"When the droids had you pinned, you were going to let them kill you," he said quietly, his tone laced with shock.

The Sith's gaze turned to her lap.

"Yes," she whispered.

She hadn't been expecting him to bring it up, and was ashamed to admit the weakness. A finger tipped her chin up.

"Then we are equally as broken," Quinn murmured.

He dipped his head down for another kiss, and Seyje was more than willing to return it. They had conquered their greatest obstacle. There was nothing that could stand between them now – not even Baras. He was simple another opponent to be crushed.

"We still need to talk to the others," Seyje reminded him as she pulled away.

Quinn stiffened up and she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I'll talk to them first. You wait here."

He relaxed considerably and helped Seyje to her feet. With a smile, she lightly pecked him on the cheek before exiting the room.

When she emerged, the crew was strangely quiet and the three of them were staring at Jaesa. At the sight of Seyje, they all jumped in their seats. The Sith glanced at them curiously before her gaze fell on her apprentice. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Jaesa, were you spying on us?" she inquired with amusement.

The apprentice's eyes widened. She didn't know how be effectively sneaky, and she certainly didn't know how to hide things after being caught.

"I'm sorry, master, but after what you said – I mean, it was hard not to – I mean, we were just–"

The Sith raised a hand and Jaesa fell silent.

"I understand your confusion and concern, apprentice, but trust me when I say it has been resolved."

She didn't have any of them convinced, and it was quite entertaining to watch them exchange strange looks with each other like she had just told them they were having Wampa meat for dinner.

"What are you talking about?" Pierce asked gruffly. "Sounds to me like the worm had it in for you."

Seyje's eyes narrowed as she raised a hand. Pierce felt his throat tighten up, and he gasped in surprise, clawing at the invisible grip on his neck.

"Watch your tongue, Lieutenant…" she snarled fiercely.

He was released and loudly sucked in a sharp breath.

"Or next time I won't be so merciful."

If there was one thing the crew had learned about their Sith lord, it was to take her threats seriously. A flicker of concern crossed Jaesa's face, but it vanished as soon as she made eye-contact with Seyje.

"Now will you tell us what happened?" she pleaded.

The Sith gave her a quick nod.

"We all know how manipulative my former master can be. Baras _uses_ people."

Simply saying his name turned the air thick with resentment. Anger radiated from each crew member as they thought about the different ways Baras had affected them, directly or not.

"He used Vette to help me on Korriban and navigate the Dark Temple for the Ravager. He used Jaesa as a reason for me to take out Nomen Karr, Master Yonlach, and even her parents. He used Pierce and his squadron as nothing but disposable soldiers on Taris. He even indirectly used Broonmark to help me take down Masters Wyllett and Xerender on Hoth."

Each scenario only heightened the darkening emotions within the room. Pierce looked like he wanted to punch his hand through a wall. Broonmark was clacking his claws together. Vette and Jaesa were both grimacing at their memories. Seyje herself was furious, but there was still more she had to explain.

"I was with each of you during all those times and more, but now Baras has stooped lower than I could've possibly foreseen."

Multiple pairs of confused eyes met her own.

"The droids I fought in that transponder station were programmed to my fighting style and nearly killed me," Seyje admitted. "If not for Quinn's change of heart, I would not be standing here."

It only took a moment for Jaesa to read between the lines. The others were no so quick to catch on.

"_Quinn_ programmed the droids?" she gasped.

The Sith nodded solemnly.

"Wow. Captain Boredom makes a wake-up call," Vette exclaimed, her sarcasm as chirpy as ever. "Did not see this coming…"

"More betrayal!" Broonmark moaned furiously. "We must cleanse the clan."

"I knew there was a reason I wanted to put a gun to his head the minute I met him," Pierce muttered with a clenched fist.

Jaesa was the only one who remained silent throughout the inane commentary, something that didn't go by unnoticed.

_You don't seem surprised, apprentice._

No, master, but I've sensed Quinn's loyalty to you before, and I wonder what Baras could've done to turn him against you.

You won't like what I've seen inside him…

Perhaps, but it is better for us to see things from your eyes instead of only our own. I fear the others will try something rash if they only see one side of the situation.

That is true, but I should warn you that not even I was able to brace myself for this.

Seyje turned her attention back to the remaining crew.

"That's enough, all of you," she barked.

It took a few moments for them to quiet down. The Sith crossed her arms across her chest to keep herself steady as quietly told them the truth.

"Baras is the one to blame here. He only used Captain Quinn as a vessel for his twisted threats and turned him against me using the most cowardly and sickening method imaginable."

Her acidic tone and glowing eyes were only the surface images of the rage she felt inside. Now that she was actually analyzing Baras' actions throughout the years, she began to understand Broonmark's constant thirst for blood.

"You mean the droids weren't enough?" Vette asked in astonishment. "Baras did something else too?"

Seyje caught the Twi'lek's eye.

"Indeed, Vette, something far worse…" she murmured icily.

The Sith stepped forward into the middle of the room. Raising her left arm, she turned her palm to the ceiling and closed her eyes. She hadn't done something like this in a while and hoped it would work. Focusing on the image she had seen, Seyje began channeling it towards her open hand. Swirls of black energy began to spin around her shoulder and snaked their way down her forearm. They came together in the middle of her palm, clumping and twisting together to form a glowing black sphere that radiated with the Dark Side.

At the sight of it, Jaesa gasped fearfully and stumbled backwards, running into Vette. The Twi'lek steadied her fellow companion before cautiously approaching the strange ball in the Sith's hand.

"What _is_ that?" she asked.

As a pirate, Vette had seen a lot of weird things, and something new like this was totally fascinating. The other three, however, were much more hesitant.

"It is the darkness Baras planted inside Quinn's mind. In the beginning, it was no bigger than a fingernail. With time, it grew into this," Seyje explained.

Her expression darkened. The sphere was big enough that she could barely wrap all five fingers around it.

_This is repulsive. I'm going to kill you for this, Baras. I swear on the Force that I will. _

Pierce and Broonmark warily approached, but Jaesa refused to go near it.

"Master, I do not think this is a good idea," she whimpered.

"You said so yourself that you wanted everyone to see this situation from mine and Quinn's eyes," Seyje pointed out.

"Yes, but this is not what I had in mind!" Jaesa protested.

"I told you to brace yourself," the Sith warned. "Now come here. Holding this thing is making me nauseous."

Her apprentice tentatively walked over to take her place in the semi-circle around her master. Seyje straightened up and looked each companion in the eye as she explained the process.

"This is what will happen. Each of you will place a hand on this sphere and hold it there until the vision is complete. But I warn you now that what you will see is nothing that I can prepare you for."

The four of them shuffled nervously, and for a moment, Seyje hesitated.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Vette said, trying to lighten the mood.

They reached out, and as soon as they all touched the sphere, Seyje released its energy. Every single one of her crew members became paralyzed and their eyes glazed over as they stared off into space – such was the effect of watching visions.

When it was over and the sphere vanished from Seyje's hand, the ship was thrown into chaos. Vette screamed at the top of her lungs and fell backwards onto a couch, clutching her lekku and trembling uncontrollably. Pierce lost his balance and ended up on the floor on his bum. Jaesa slumped against a wall in a daze, her face as white as a ghost. Even Broonmark was at a loss; he just stood there in shock. The terror was evident on all their faces, and Seyje went to each person to convince them it wasn't real. Jaesa and Vette required a little more attention as the vision reminded them of their pasts – both as a padawan and as a slave. After a long while, the crew was stabilized to the point where they were able to see past the image and think clearly again.

"What the hell was _that_?" Pierce asked.

"That is what has been building up in Quinn's mind after all this time," Seyje growled.

Having to see it once was bad, but twice now had her seething over the inexhaustible rage towards her former master.

"That was…horrible," Vette said breathlessly. "I feel terrible for saying all that stuff about him now."

Jaesa nodded in agreement, and even Pierce looked ashamed of himself. Broonmark cursed in Talz that the Sith didn't understand, but it didn't seem like it was directed at the Captain. Seyje was greatly relieved that none of them would try to do anything to Quinn after this.

"Remember this," the Sith stated. "The fear of losing someone you care about can break even the strongest willpowers."

She paused a moment.

"Isn't that right, Quinn?"

Everyone looked up with surprise to see the Captain standing at the edge of the hallway leading to Seyje's quarters. She had known he was hiding back there for quite some time – ever since she Force-chocked Pierce for smack talking.

Quinn took a step forward so he was at the Sith's side. The confidence radiating from him was glorious, and Seyje drank in every drop of it.

"That is correct, my lord," he said in answer to her question.

He stole a glance at her, and she could've sworn she saw him wink, but it was hard to tell with peripheral vision. The Sith turned back to her crew, a red-hot rage building in the pit of her stomach.

"Now then, you've all seen it and you all understand where it came from – _Baras_," she hissed fiercely.

The name cut through her tongue as if it was made of knives. Her crew echoed her with various sounds of frustration and anger as she circled around the room, catching the eye of every single person.

"_He_ is the cause of our pain. _He_ has manipulated and tormented us long enough. The man is a coward, a wimp, and I will not stand for another second of his miserable existence."

She stopped in the middle of the room, rallying the others nearer to her. The air was thick with a bloodthirsty want for revenge.

"This torture he has inflicted on us is unforgiveable, and soon – _very_ soon – I will make him pay for everything that he has done to us," Seyje growled threateningly.

Her voice dropped two notches, and they all leaned in closer.

"So when the time comes that I face him, I just have one question for all of you."

Her eyes caught the gaze of each person before she continued.

"Who is willing to stand at my side as I crush him with the Emperor's Wrath?" she snarled, a malicious grin spreading across her lips.

The crew erupted with a victorious battle cry, yelling and whooping, all the while cursing Baras' name. Seyje stepped back and watched as they all moved about with a renewed hunger. She had no worries about anyone defecting from her; they would all stand together as one against her former master. The Sith chuckled darkly to herself.

_You will pay for this, Baras, with your pitiful excuse of a life. _

She watched as Pierce broke out the ale from the basement and everyone, including Quinn, helped themselves to a celebratory drink.

_I swear I will kill you – wait..._

An thought suddenly came to the Sith as stood leaning against the frame of the hallway.

"Quinn," she called out. "Do you still have that datapad?"

He froze up, and when he turned his head to look at her, Seyje could see the gears in his spinning fast to anticipate where that question could lead. Noticing his reaction, everyone else paused to watch the curious exchange.

"Yes I do, my lord," he responded slowly, his brow furrowing as he analyzed her.

"I need you to rebuild the droids."

Quinn wasn't the only one who choked on his drink. Misty sprays of whiskey floated to the floor, something 2V-R8 would have to clean up later.

"Y-you can't be serious!" Quinn stuttered as soon as he stopped coughing.

"I wouldn't dare joke about it," she said coldly.

"But…why?" he asked.

The whole crew was looking at her like she was insane.

_Do they not realize the obvious problem in front of us?_

The Sith approached the cooler now half-full of ale bottles and stared directly at her Captain.

"Quinn, if it was so easy for your two war droids to defeat me, what's to stop Baras from doing the same?" she demanded.

It became silent as they all came to her same realization.

"The only way I'm going to be able to kill that bastard is by becoming stronger than him, and I see now that I've got a lot ways to go before that will happen."

She spoke truly, but Seyje could sense Quinn's discomfort about such a steep request from her.

"You can start by setting them to stun," she said, though it sounded more like an order than a suggestion.

Quinn winced at the words, but kept his jaw hard-set.

"If this is what it takes…then I will do it," he said stiffly.

There was an angry fire in his eyes that made Seyje want to drag him off to her quarters right then and there, but she withheld and instead turned to the others.

"I expect all of you to train with the droids as well. Advancing your skills may be necessary for what lies ahead," she stated grimly.

They all murmured words of agreement, and Seyje nodded approvingly. Her dark expression softened, and she strode past the crew to sit on the couches.

"Now then," she said with a devilish grin. "About this celebration we were having.."

The mood lightened immensely at her comment, and the crew went to join her on the plush furniture.

"Will someone toss me a bottle?"


End file.
